Berkeley man charged with assault in stabbing

BERKELEY – A township man remained hospitalized Friday with stab wounds after a fight the night before, according to the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office.

Al Della Fave, spokesman for the prosecutor, said Alen R. Mathews, 59, has been charged with aggravated assault and possession of a weapon for unlawful purposes after, police said, he stabbed Frederick Bonkowski, 21.

Berkeley police received a 911 call at 8:14 p.m. about a man in need of medical assistance outside a residence at Shar-A-Dee apartment complex at 34 Frederick Drive in the Bayville section of the township.

When police arrived, Bonkowski was found on the steps of a residence suffering from multiple stab wounds, Della Fave said. Bonkowski was transported to Jersey Shore University Medical Center in Neptune for emergency surgery.

Mathews was located near the residence by police and was apparently highly intoxicated at the time, Della Fave said. He also had a stab wound to his thigh and finger, Della Fave said.

Mathews was taken to Community Medical Center in Toms River for treatment. He was taken Friday to Ocean County Jail in Toms River after his release from the hospital, and his bail was set at $100,000 with no 10 percent option, Della Fave said.

Berkeley Police Chief Karin DiMichele described the assault as an isolated event between two people who knew each other.

The incident remains under investigation by the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office and the Berkeley Police Department.